The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has levied fines totaling Tk 8.68 crore on four mobile operators for the utilization of 8,682 SIM cards in unauthorized international call termination via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Each operator, namely Robi Axiata, Banglalink, Teletalk, and Grameenphone, faced penalties of Tk 10,000 per SIM card that was identified in connection with illicit VoIP activities, as confirmed by an official BTRC communication.
Among the operators, Robi Axiata incurred the highest penalty of Tk 5.93 crore for 5,935 SIM cards, while Banglalink was fined Tk 1.88 crore for 1,882 SIM cards. State-owned Teletalk received a penalty of Tk 68.10 lakh for 681 SIM cards, and Grameenphone was fined the least with Tk 18.40 lakh for 184 SIM cards.
BTRC Deputy Director Sharmin Sultana stated that the operators had neglected to enforce necessary measures mandated by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, their licensing terms, and directives from the commission to prevent unauthorized call termination, thereby allowing the misuse of customer SIM cards for VoIP purposes.
An unnamed BTRC official revealed that the SIM cards were discovered during coordinated enforcement operations in Cumilla and Chattogram conducted with the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC). The official highlighted that a fine of Tk 10,000 per seized SIM card is imposed, emphasizing the operators’ obligation to thwart and block unlawful VoIP termination as per their licensing agreements.
Legal actions have been initiated in the respective jurisdictions where the SIM cards were confiscated, with ongoing enforcement efforts planned, as indicated by the official.
The operators have been directed by BTRC to settle the fines within 10 days and furnish proof of payment; otherwise, further legal measures will be pursued in accordance with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act of 2001.
In response, Banglalink asserted that it had consistently implemented preventative measures against SIM misuse, noting that most of the identified SIM cards had already been identified and deactivated through internal systems before regulatory intervention, denouncing the imposed penalty as unjustified.
Grameenphone affirmed its compliance with BTRC’s self-regulatory protocols and biometric verification requirements, urging the regulator to hold customers accountable for the misuse of biometrically registered connections for illicit purposes.
Robi Axiata’s Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer, Shahed Alam, stated that they had not officially received any notice, highlighting that over 95 percent of the SIM cards mentioned in media reports had already been blocked through their internal regulatory mechanisms.
